25 min read
Hazardous chemicals
Last updated May 2026
This chapter explains your legal obligations to safely store, use, transport and dispose of hazardous chemicals.
Obligations in relation to hazardous chemicals
If you have hazardous chemicals in your workplace, you must implement an effective chemical safety management system to meet your work health and safety duty to ensure your workers, and any others in your workplace, are not exposed to health and safety risks.
Definition: Chemical Safety Management
Chemical safety management is the implementation of measures to minimise the risks associated with hazardous chemicals.
Chemical safety management is the implementation of measures to minimise the risks associated with hazardous chemicals.
Chemical safety management requires you to implement measures to ensure the safe:
- use (read more);
- storage (read more);
- transportation (read more); and
- disposal of hazardous chemicals (read more).
Important: Manufacturers of hazardous chemicals also have legal obligations relating to chemical safety.